aldehydes

Aldehyde is a term that derives from the English word aldehyde. This word, in turn, is an acronym for a Latin expression: alcohol dehydrogenatum. In this sense, we can state, therefore, that it comes from an expression such as “dehydrogenated alcohol”.

Aldehydes are chemical compounds of an organic nature that arise when certain alcohols I know they oxidize.

As the aforementioned Latin expression suggests, an aldehyde is a dehydrogenated alcohol: that is, it has lost atoms of hydrogen. Aldehydes have a functional group formyl, which is formed when a hydrogen atom is separated from the compound known as formaldehyde.

To name the aldehydes, the ending -ol that has the name of hydrocarbon and it is added -to the. Thus, according to the nomenclature of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, one can speak of aldehydes such as methanal (or formaldehyde, according to the trivial nomenclature), the ethanal (acetaldehyde) or the propanal (propaldehyde), to name the simplest according to their number of carbons.

Aldehydes can act as reducers. In this way, they are used in different industries to produce paints, stains, solvents and plastics, among other elements. It can also be used as a preservative and to obtain compounds such as melamine or bakelite.

No less important is that, in addition to what has been stated so far, they can also be used with other equally significant uses:
-To carry out the creation of explosives of various kinds such as the so-called TNPE.
-To create technical plastics that are commonly used to achieve the replacement of metal parts in both machinery and automobiles.
-In the same way, it should not be overlooked that they are also used within the field of perfumery.

It is important to mention that aldehydes can be formed through various natural processes. When a person you drink a large amount of alcoholic beverages and then feel the discomfort known as a hangover, this sensation could be due to acetaldehyde It occurs within the framework of metabolization, according to some studies on the subject.

In addition to everything indicated, we can highlight another important series of data about aldehydes, such as the following:
-The formula that, as a general rule, identifies them is this: CnH2n + 1CHO.
-The boiling point that must be emphasized that the aforementioned aldehydes have is above that of alkanes, but is lower than that of alcohols.
-Among those that end in -al, we can highlight some such as ethanal, propanal, methanal or butenal.
-When there are two groups of aldehydes, they are given the ending "-dial". This would be the case of the pentodial or the butanedial.
-In particular, it is determined that the most frequent ways or processes through which aldehydes are formed are carbonylation, dehydrogenation and oxidation of alcohols and also what is known as oxidation of alkyl halides.